Providing an effective system for cooling electronic or other components or devices to precise and well controlled cryogenic temperatures is valuable. A common method of cryogenic cooling is to use one or more cryogenic fluids.
This invention relates to a device for providing efficient and precise cryogenic cooling over a wide temperature range. In particular, the invention is concerned with a cryostat and the ability to precisely regulate the temperature of a test article in a cryostat connected to source of cryogenic fluid.
Cryostats are commonly storage vessels for cryogenic fluids. The device to be cooled is immersed directly into the storage cryostat. This has two disadvantages: For efficient storage of expensive cryogens such as liquid helium (LHe), the access distance to the cryogenic fluid is several feet. This can reduce the efficiency of the device operation. Direct immersion makes it difficult and inefficient to set and control the temperature at other than the fixed temperature of the cryogen. To overcome the last difficulty, cryostats also are known which flow the cryogen or its vapor at or near the test article. These typically require cumbersome plumbing for transporting the cryogenic fluids and temperature regulation by inefficient heating.
There is a need to provide a cryogenic system which minimizes the disadvantages of known systems.